The shape I'm in: Alan Amsby, entertainer
The stories of wild parties and great nights flow like champagne from Alan Amsby. Working under the stage name Mr Pussy, the celebrated female impersonator has rubbed shoulders with the whoâs who of the entertainment business, from Sean Connery, Van Morrison and Ronnie Wood, to Adam Clayton, Naomi Campbell and Mel Gibson.
His ability to connect with the great and good reaches back to the swinging â60s in London when Beatlemania was at fever pitch. âI drank with Brian Epstein a couple of times,â he says casually. âIt was in the very posh Cromwellian Club in Knightsbridge, London. It was the place to go to in the 1960s. He was drinking scotch and coke and I was drinking brandy. He gave me a lift home one night in his Rolls Royce.â
Intelligent and witty, he learned from an early age about the value of friendship. âBeing an only child you have to have people around to talk to.â
He also knows how to âsuss people outâquickly. âIn show business, you have to be on your guard. And If they try to be smart I can soon put them down because thatâs my job.â
Born in London, he first came to Dublin in 1969, liked what he saw and stayed. And while heâs an open book on most aspects of his life, his age remains a âstate secretâ. He does admit, however, that due to arthritis he canât get into the heels as high as he used to.
A new autobiography, written with journalist Dave Kenny, has pushed him back into the limelight. âI intend taking a show on the road next year based on the book and I want to get back into theatre,â he says.
First, he intends to get fit for the undertaking. âIâll have to get a couple of dogs and run around. I have to play myself when Iâm 12!â
At the moment, I shouldnât be as big as I am. Iâm very lazy. I had two German shepherds, Lilly and Danny, but both died. They used to bring me out every day. Iâve got their ashes on top of the piano. Mixing with young people keeps me with it. The baby drags all call me Aunty Pussy.
Steak, salad â spinach is absolutely wonderful â lots of water and good wine.
I go mad about twice a week and get the hottest curry imaginable with naan bread, lime pickle â the lot. Also, knowing I donât have to get up in the morning and can stay in bed. I do my office work from bed and then go back to sleep.
Watching the telly. And I have ghosts. I tell them to piss off if they annoy me. A friend of mine, a priest from America, came over and blessed the house. Since then itâs been quieter.
I like going to the theatre. I used to go the Everyman in Cork when it was a cinema and always thought what a terrible waste of this beautiful little theatre. I was delighted when it was reopened as a theatre.
My mum, she was a great character. And David Gordon, he was the ballet master with the Irish National Ballet. They would get on very well. I wouldnât get a word in.
I like the perfume Shalimar. But my favourite smell is Sunday roast being cooked. Itâs a happy family feeling â a nice dinner on the table.
I have to go on a diet. I did lose weight a few years back and looked great, so thatâs my new yearâs resolution.
When Queen Victoria died! And when I see the terrible things that happen on the news.
I canât stand laziness. Iâm also a stickler for punctuality. And I donât like rudeness â especially in some shops they can be very ignorant. I can pull them up on it too. Manners are important.
Drinking too much. My favourite drink is brandy and coke.
Yes. Quite often. Since Iâve come to Ireland Iâve become more religious.
If the weather changed a bit. Also if I could wave my wand and have my bedroom tidy.
